Electric heater



L. P. HYNES.

ELECTRIC HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I9, 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C Elbtomm L. P. HYNES ELECTRIC HEATER- APPLICATION FILED MAR 19. 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE P. HYNES, ALBANY, NEW YORK,.A.SSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATED CAR-HEATING COMPANY, OF ALBANY, 'NEW' YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

- ELECTRIC HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 26, 1921.

Application filed March 19, 1920. Serial No. 367,055.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, Liin P. HYNES a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lni iaroveinents in Electric Heaters, the following being a full, clear, and exact disclosure of the one form of my invention which I at present deem preferable.

For a detailed description of the present form of'my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accoinpanying drawing forming apart thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section. V Fig. 2 is a plan of the top cover plate.

Fig. 3 is a top plan of the coils with the cover removed, and I Fig. 4t illustrates diagrammatically the air-circulation system My invention relates to heaters of the type employing uncovered wire heating coils wherein the problem of securing air-circulation through openings in the walls of the heater-casing is complicated by the necessity of guarding against contact with the exposed wires by objects thrust in accidentally or through design. Many different forms of heater casings have been devised. but thebest of them have afforded only a restricted heating capacity for a'given size and weight of apparatus. which have been used are of inadequate capacity even when the openings therein have been made so large that internal guard plates need to be added to protect against contact with the coils. Besides, the limitation in the total heating capacity, the inadequatc volume of air emerges from the casingat an uncomfortably high temperature while the metal work becomes overheated and liable to burn fingers if touched or to scorch light dress fabrics, with danger of even more serious damage. But with an adequate air volume passing through the same heater its total heating output is greatly increased and the heat is delivered at a comfortable temperature without overheating of the metal.

In my present arrangement I surround the heating coils with an imperforate wall of sheet metal so that contact with the coils is impossible, and at the top and bottoml place a stamped sheet cover-plate wherein parallel cuts across nearly the entire width Gratings of the various designs of the plate are made, and the strips between the cuts are twisted into a diagonal position with'respect to the original plane of the plate. By this means practically the entire area of the cover plate may; be open for air circulation since the mere thickness of the sheet at each open slot is a negligible obstruction. Moreover I make each end plate symmetrical with the tubu lar body portion so that it is reversible and the inclined ileflector-chutes, formed by the twisted and parallel. plates, may be directed toward. the front or the back of the heater, according to the location in which it is to be used.

Referring to thedrawings, A represents a tubular portion of sheet metal forming the body of the heater-casing. This portion 18 imperforatedwhich means that it has no openings relied upon for the circulation system of the heater. Within this tubular portion are the heater coils E on porcelain cores B, B, etc., which extend parallel to the axis of said imperforated tubular portion of the casing. By this arrangement the coils are protected. from contact whilethe parallel relation of the cores 15 provide for a minimum obstruction to air flowing through the casing. At top and bottom of the casing is the stamped metal cover D, these covers being duplicates of each other. The sheet is pressed down around its. edges to form lips embracing the body portion and depressions are also formed on each side at (Z, (Z. In the floor of each depression (Z, is a hole through which is passed a screw which enters a plate C to which the porcelain cores are attached. Each core is perforated axially and a rod P passed through it which is secured by nuts to the plate C at the top and by lugs G to plate C at the bottom. The cores are mounted on the rods P be tween springs R, R at top and bottom. By this arrangement the coils are secured between the two cover-plates D at the two ends of the casing. By removing the screws K at the bottom, the top cover together with the heater coils and cores can all be lifted away from the tubular casing A. A handle 0 may be hooked into angleeyes O held by the screws K, K in the depressions Z, (Z. A dovetailed lug'Q, is also attached to one side of the body portion A for supporting the heater ona corresponding receiving lug fixed to some stationary point.

The horizontal portion of each cover plate D is cut transversely along parallel lines about half an inch apart and the strips between these lines are bent or twisted outward into a diagonal position with respect to the plane of the plate. That forms a series of diagonal deflector-chutes through which the outgoing air at the top may be directed outward away from the heater while the incoming air at the bottom is similarly drawn in through the chutes from one side of the heater. Since the plates are symmetrical they may be reversed with respect to the central tubular portion and the air directed to one side or the other without reversing the position of the said tubular portion. By reference to Fig. 4;, it will be apparent that the cross sectional area of the diagonal chutes is nearly equal to the area of the cut and stamped portion of the plate. Consequently, the tubular central portion, together with the diagonal chutes at each end, forms a practically open air conduit, since the carrying capacity of the chutes is substantially equal to that of the central portion considering the space occupied by the coils in the latter. It will also be evident that this air-carrying capacity extending clear through the heater has not left the coils exposed in any degree to contact from outside, since the chutes are entirely above or below the coils and the latter are protected by the imperforate body portion of the casing. In addition to the air-carrying capacity of my heater, it is fifty per cent. lighter in weight than the heater of corresponding size and rating which I have heretofore manufactured and much cheaper to build.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric heater comprising uncoated heating coils, and an external casing therefor having an impert'orate central body portion and stamped sheet-metal heads, said heads being cut on a series of parallel lines with the metal between the cuts bent at an angle to form diagonal chutes constituting extensions of the air conduit through the central body portion.

2. An electric heater comprising uncoated heating coils and an external casing therefor having an imperforate body portion and reversible stamped sheet-metal heads at top and bottom, said heads being cut in a series of parallel lines with the metal between cuts bent at an angle to form reversible-diagonal chutes for the entrance and exit of the air.

3. An electric heater comprising uncoated heating coils, and an external casing therefor having an iinperforate body portion surrounding the said coils and stamped sheetmetal heads above and below the coils formed with diagonal chutes for the entrance and exit of the air.

4:. An electric heater comprising uncoated heating coils and an external casing therefor having an imperforate body portion axially parallel to said coils and extending beyond the ends thereof, and stamped sheet-metal heads beyond the ends of the coils formed with diagonal chutes for the entrance and exit of the air.

5. An electric heater comprising uncoatcd heating coils and an external casing therefor having an imperforate body portion inclosing the coils and stamped slieetmietal heads provided with diagonal chutes for the entrance and exit of the air, and also provided with depressed portions to which the cores of the coils are connected.

Signed at Albany, county 01 Albany, State of New York, this 17th day of March, 1920.

LEE P. HYNES. 

